WORCESTER—Two Worcester colleges are getting a good chunk of change for projects that advance decarbonization efforts, address deferred maintenance, and increase climate resilience.
This funding from the Executive Office of Education, of which $1,292,058 will go to Worcester State University and $791,694 will go to Quinsigamond Community College, was raised by the newly implemented Fair Share Amendment, which places an additional 4% tax on Bay State residents with incomes of $1 million or more.
“Making investments in our public higher education system that bring much-needed repairs to our campuses while also making Massachusetts greener and more resilient to the realities of our warming planet is exactly what the Fair Share Amendment was meant to do,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury) in a statement. “I’m thrilled that the Healey Administration is using these dollars to invest in the Commonwealth’s future. I look forward to seeing these funds put into action right here in Worcester.”
“Worcester State University has a 16-year commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, which we reaffirmed in 2017,” said Worcester State University President Barry M. Maloney in a statement. “This critical infusion of funding from the Fair Share tax revenues will markedly advance those efforts. We thank the Healey Administration, especially Secretary Tutwiler and Commissioner Baacke, as well as the legislature, for their leadership in addressing climate change.”
Quinsig’s President Dr. Luis Pedraja adds: “As an institution of higher learning and a member of the President’s Climate Commitment, Quinsigamond Community College has been committed to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving carbon neutrality. For over a decade QCC has made strides in this area by conserving energy, reducing carbon emissions and using energy from renewable sources. Now, through this funding, we can continue to strive for greater improvements in sustainability, as well as in our decarbonization efforts to advance climate resiliency.”
The dollars allocated to the public higher education institutions were paid for through Fair Share Amendment funds as part of the FY24 budget in line item 1596-2417, which appropriated $50,000,000 for this purpose, according to the announcement.
The Fair Share amendment, passed via ballot measure in November 2022, levies an additional 4% tax on the portion of an individual’s income that exceeds $1 million, with the proceeds required to be spent on education- and transportation-related initiatives. In the FY24 Massachusetts budget, $1 billion raised by the Fair Share Amendment.
Contact Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
